by Maria Giovanna Faiella
Excess weight is not just an aesthetic problem but associated with some diseases. What to do if the weight is increasing? Should carbohydrates be eliminated? What to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Even sleeping little makes you gain weight
Excess weight is not just an aesthetic problem but, as several scientific studies demonstrate, associated with some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. But how can you shed the extra pounds and, above all, not gain them back in the medium to long term? Can we do it on our own or is it better to turn to an expert? Is there a diet that makes you lose weight stably without running risks? What to do (and not do) to maintain the right weight and also health?
The secret to not piling on the pounds
First of all – says Dr. Andrea Ghiselli, director of the Master’s in Food Science and Applied Dietetics at the Unitelma Sapienza in Rome – being overweight is a condition for which intervention is required, which must be carried out by a doctor or a nutritionist. But it would be better not to be in this situation. How to avoid it? The “secret” is to weigh yourself once a week and, if the weight is increasing, all we have to do is move more and eat less, avoiding “superfluous” foods – the doctor replies -. If every day we have breakfast with a slice of panettone or another dessert or eat a bar of chocolate, it is obvious what needs to be eliminated. Likewise, alcohol and other superfluous foods (snacks such as chips, sweets, sugary drinks and juices) should be avoided, which we can sometimes afford if we have a normal weight, but not if we want to lose weight. If you are up to 5-6 kilos heavier than your normal weight – advises Doctor Ghiselli – just eat less and move more; However, if you have enormous excess weight, it is better to contact your doctor or nutritionist.
Balanced nutrition
What to eat to eat correctly and healthily? In general, a balanced diet is mainly based on plant sources, therefore based on cereals (bread, pasta, rice, corn), then legumes, vegetables, fresh fruit, dried fruit in shells, small quantities of animal products (including dairy products). and fish) which integrate the diet, without weighing it down – explains the expert -. For second courses, considering that there are 14 lunches and dinners per week, you can follow the “rule of three”, that is, eat three portions of legumes, three of fish, three of meat, three of eggs, three of cheeses, removing rotation of one of these foods, for example meat or egg, while fish can be eaten more frequently given that it is among the “protective” foods against all diseases linked to weight gain such as diabetes, heart attack and mortality in general.
Carbohydrates aren’t they?
Is it true that to lose weight you need to remove carbohydrates and eat more proteins? Today we tend to “blame” carbohydrates and “sanctify” proteins, as if the former made us fat and the latter did not, which is not true: if we gain weight, it is not the fault of one of the foods that make up the diet; and then – continues Dr. Ghiselli – between 45 and 60 percent of daily energy should come from carbohydrates (among these, free sugars must not exceed 5-10% of total energy). In practice it means that, if we need two thousand kilocalories a day (they vary depending on weight, height, age, ed.), approximately half must come from carbohydrates, which are found in bread, pasta but also in milk, fruit, vegetables; about 20-35% fat; between 12 and 18% from proteins.
Body mass index and waist circumference
To understand if your weight is within the norm or by how much it differs from it, you can calculate the body mass index (BMI) which is obtained by dividing the weight (expressed in kilograms) by the square of the height (it can be calculated Who by entering your data). A BMI value less than 25 indicates that you are of normal weight; 25 to 30 you are overweight; from 30 to 40 indicates obesity and above 40 a serious form of obesity.
The body mass index, however, does not give information on the quantity and location of body fat. Another useful index for understanding the distribution and quantity of visceral fat – which predicts health risks such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and metabolic complications of obesity – is the measurement of the waist circumference which should be measured just above the navel, in position erect, without holding your breath: it is desirable not to exceed 94 centimeters in men, 80 in women.
The best diet for losing weight
What is the best diet for losing weight? Several studies, which have compared various types of diets (Mediterranean, high-protein, fat-free, ketogenic and others), have shown that a no-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate or high-protein diet initially causes you to lose a greater amount of weight, but an illusion because a weight consists mainly of water – recalls the expert, who was a member of the panel of experts that produced the 2003 revision of the Guidelines for healthy eating and chair of the Commission for their review in 2018 – . Over time, the weight is recovered to a greater extent, and some metabolic alterations may also occur, which the Mediterranean diet does not induce. The results of the studies, however, confirm that the best diet for losing weight is the Mediterranean one: it makes you lose it more slowly but in a more lasting way. Even a diet with 70 percent of energy from carbohydrates, as shown by a recent study, can bring health benefits.
What to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner (and snacks)
But be careful, Dr. Ghiselli clarifies: The Mediterranean diet is not the dish of bucatini all’amatriciana, but a poor diet based mainly on land products, therefore cereals – preferably whole grains -, legumes, fruit, vegetables, dried fruit in shells, vegetable oil, with small quantities of fish, dairy products, meat, eggs.
For example, for breakfast you can have a cup of milk (if you don’t like it you can choose yoghurt, vegetable drinks which can be found in supermarkets today, but which are certainly not comparable to milk, ed.) with two-three biscuits or another sweet and fatty baked product that can be equivalent to 30 grams of biscuits, so bread or biscuits with butter and jam, or croissant or slice of cake, breakfast cereals are fine. Then, during the day, no more sweets.
You can have a mid-morning snack with yogurt or a fruit or a handful of dried fruit in shell.
For lunch you can eat a plate of pasta (80 grams medium portion) or rice or corn preferably seasoned with tomato or other vegetables such as broccoli, and a second course following the rule of three, or a single course such as pasta and beans or chickpeas, or rice and lentils.
In the afternoon you can have a snack with yogurt or fruit. As for the aperitif or happy hour, it can be done every now and then if you are of normal weight and in good health, but if you are overweight, it should be avoided as it is a source of superfluous calories. And, if you really don’t want to give up an aperitif with friends, you can choose a tomato (or fruit?) juice rather than an alcoholic drink, but obviously without touching pretzels, pizzas, etc.
For dinner, the composition of the meal does not change compared to lunch, except for the quantities: since calories must be concentrated in the first part of the day, lunch should provide around 35 percent of daily energy, while dinner around 25 percent. percent, so it would be preferable not to eat much explains the expert.
Sleep also affects weight
Another factor that affects weight is sleep. If we sleep little we tend to gain weight because our metabolism is much more developed during the first hours of the day, therefore we metabolize calories better if we eat early, the opposite happens if we concentrate calories in the evening – explains Dr. Ghiselli -. However, it often happens that we have dinner late, even after 9pm, and go to bed when we have not completely digested, so we lose hours of good sleep. You should have dinner by 8pm so that at least three hours pass before going to bed, sleep the right amount of hours – 7/8 – so that you wake up rested.
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January 26, 2024 (modified January 26, 2024 | 08:44)
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